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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24131701">Breaking First</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/ginnympotter/pseuds/ginnympotter'>ginnympotter</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, F/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 16:54:59</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,715</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24131701</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/ginnympotter/pseuds/ginnympotter</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Harry decides to come clean to his parents about his relationship with Ginny.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Harry Potter/Ginny Weasley, James Potter/Lily Evans Potter</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>229</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Breaking First</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>AU set in the summer between Harry's 6th and 7th year at Hogwarts.<br/>Inspired by this prompt from blattgefluester on tumblr:<br/>jily lives! and somehow find out that Harry is dating Ginny but keep pretending to not know until he's forced to tell them</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p>
<p></p><div class="">
  <p>Harry was just about to pull Ginny’s shirt over her head when they heard the front door slam and Lily call out from downstairs, “Harry? We’re home!”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Harry let go of the hem of Ginny’s shirt and swore under his breath. Then he shouted back, “Hey, Mum!” in a key much higher than his regular voice.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>He turned to Ginny, whose hands were still exploring his bare chest, which made it that much more difficult for him to speak with a clear head. “I’m sorry, I thought they were going to be gone for <em>at least</em> another hour…how are we going to get you out of here?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Ginny stopped her ministrations and looked at him curiously. “Get me out of here? What do you mean?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“I mean that they don’t know you’re here, we could get in trouble.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Ginny snorted, rolling her eyes. “Have your parents ever once actually punished you? Your misdeeds are usually lauded by your dad and Sirius.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Well, that might be true,” he admitted, “but they still don’t know we’re together.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Why not?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Harry sighed, picking up his discarded t-shirt from the floor. “I mean, I’m not worried or anything. They love you, obviously. I just don’t want them to make a big deal out of it. You know how they are.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“But we told Mum last week, and she’s <em>way</em> more dramatic,” Ginny pointed out. “She cried of happiness, Harry! I think we’ve seen the worst.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“You underestimate the Potter dramatics.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“I’m always up for a show,” she replied with a shrug. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>He could hear his father and mother’s muffled voices talking from the level beneath them as he put his shirt over his head. “Listen, I could distract them and you could come down and use the floo while they’re not looking-“</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“You’re being ridiculous,” she said, frowning as Harry’s shirt covered him once more. “Your parents are much more relaxed than my mum. I’m sure if you just told them we’d actually get more alone time together instead of having to sneak around constantly and be interrupted. And besides, I wouldn’t really want to hide it at your birthday next week, so might as well rip off the band-aid now.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Harry thought this over for a few moments, thinking that Ginny did raise a few valid points, but still felt inexplicably nervous. “I guess, it’s just…it <em>is</em> a big deal,” he stated plainly. “You know?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Ginny’s soft smile melted his heart a bit. “I’ll hold your hand through it, the whole time if you need me to.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Thanks,” he smiled back as she grabbed his chin and tugged his mouth towards hers, kissing him twice; once chaste, once open-mouthed, pulling away too soon, sending tingles throughout his whole body. She stood up and smirked knowingly as he scowled at her. “Was that necessary?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Sorry,” she said, with no hint of regret in her voice. “Just wanted to see you squirm a bit more.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>James used<em> Sonorous</em> from the ground floor so Harry could hear him from his room as he announced, “I’m making pancakes for dinner, come down so I know what you want in each.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>She offered her hand, nudging her head in the direction of his door. He exhaled deeply, concentrating on calming his senses. Once he felt safe enough, he reluctantly put his hand in Ginny’s and stood up as well. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Feeling his heart thump in his throat, he descended the stairs slowly. Ginny became impatient and led them the rest of the way down, tugging Harry behind her. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“I hear two sets of footsteps,” James noted from the kitchen as they reached the landing. He was flicking his wand over a bowl of batter. “Is Ron here? I’ll have to double the batch, then-“</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“No Ron, just me,” Ginny said, brightly and clearly, as they made their way toward the kitchen. “Hi Mr. and Mrs. Potter.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>James whipped around at the sound of Ginny’s voice. Lily, who was sitting at the head of the table, reading a rather dense book, looked up. Her eyes quickly scanned their linked hands, then flickered towards her husband's gaze for the smallest moment, then back at Ginny and smiled widely. “Ginny, darling!” She stuck her bookmark in her book and closed it. She rose from the table as they approached her. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“My favorite Weasley!” James greeted her, grinning. “Are you staying for dinner? How do you like your pancakes?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Wow, I’ve surpassed Fred and George? They’re going to be so cross,” she joked, as she let go of Harry’s hand to hug Lily. “Um, I wasn’t planning to stay, but-“</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“I’ll Floo Molly and tell her,” said Lily at once as she let go of her. “Does she know you’re here?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Yep!” Ginny responded. “Thanks so much. Just don’t tell her what we’re eating, she’d send me straight home.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Noted,” Lily laughed and walked into the living room. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Harry looked after his mother suspiciously, and then toward his father, who was beckoning Ginny over to pick what she wanted in her pancakes. After deciding on one strawberry, one blueberry, and one chocolate chip for each of them, Ginny and James began discussing different Chaser plays and strategies. Harry could faintly hear Lily talking in the fireplace.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>A few minutes later, James and Ginny were trialing different places in the kitchen she could stand with a plate to catch the pancakes as James flipped them behind his shoulder off his spatula, when Lily walked back in to the scene as if it were just an average Sunday. “Your mum said no problem, dear. She just wants you to Floo back before nine.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Thanks, Mrs. Potter!” she called out as she just caught a pancake by the edge of the plate.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Harry walked over to his mother uncertainly. “Er, thanks,” he said lamely, curious as to why they hadn’t been interrogated yet, but still wishing to avoid the inevitable a bit longer. “I thought you and Dad were going to be longer helping Remus and Tonks with the move.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“It’s no problem.” She kissed his forehead and attempted to smooth his hair. “And so did we, but Tonks wasn’t feeling so well, and once we got the basics like the big furniture moved in we just left them to rest-”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“YES!” James shouted in triumph as Ginny made quite a spectacular catch to top off a stack. She handed them to Lily, laughing. “This is your order, I believe.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>The four of them ate together, and his parents asked Ginny about what each of her brothers were up to, how the wedding planning was going for Fleur and Bill, how many O.W.L.s she got, and more. All the while, Harry continuously awaited James or Lily to break.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>But he ended up breaking first, unable to stand it. “Alright,” Harry said quite abruptly after he finished his last pancake. All three of them looked at him. “Why haven’t either of you-“ he cleared his throat, trying to rephrase it. “Don’t you want to know if-“ he stopped again. “Listen, er….” He threw caution to the wind. “Ginny and I are dating,” he blurted.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Lily and James both blinked. “We know,” said James simply.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“You…you know?” Harry asked in a bewildered voice.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Yeah, we know,” Lily echoed. “Old news.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Harry looked at his parents, who were both smiling now, exasperated. He turned to Ginny, who didn’t seem as shocked as he felt, but looked curious nonetheless. “Since when?” she asked.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Lily took a sip of her tea, the look on her face indicating she was trying to decide how to break it to them. “Well, we…”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“We saw you two snogging at the platform after the Express came in,” James explained unabashedly, drizzling more syrup over his final forkful. “Might want to be a bit more discrete next time.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Ginny blushed a little, and Harry attempted to digest this information. “So you’ve known all summer and haven’t said a single thing?” questioned Harry. “That is so unlike you two.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“We didn’t want to make you uncomfortable,” James said as he swallowed his food.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Again, that is so unlike you two,” Harry repeated.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Well, aside from that little incident, I’m surprised it took until today for you to get caught in any way. Pretty good sneaking around.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Ginny laughed appreciatively. “Thanks?” said Harry, his tone dubious.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Although, Molly owled us last week saying that you had told her and asking if we knew, so you could’ve covered your trail a bit better.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“In any case,” Lily interjected. “We’re very happy for you two.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Thanks, so are we,” said Ginny, and she put a hand on Harry’s leg under the table, squeezing his thigh reassuringly.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Harry felt the smallest sense of relief wash over him at how normal all of this suddenly felt. “Er, yeah, thanks,” he exhaled. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>But perhaps too soon. James spoke up again. “What we don’t know though is when it started. Has it been all year? The last day of the term? Since Christmas?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Ah, there’s the interrogation,” sighed Harry.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Ginny didn’t seem to mind, though. She was smiling, in fact, as she answered, “Just since the Quidditch final.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Ah, nothing like the euphoria of a Quidditch victory for a blossoming romance,” James stated, grabbing his wife’s hand. “Isn’t that right, Evans?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Mhm,” Lily responded, and her and Harry looked at each other, knowing what was to come.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Harry attempted to put a stop to it. “You don’t have to tell the story, Dad. We’ve all heard it-“</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“I haven’t,” said Ginny.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Harry groaned under his breath, while his mother laughed silently into her mug of tea.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Well,” James began, the same joy in his face that always appeared when he’d recount how he and Lily finally got together. “It was October of our Seventh Year, Gryffindor versus Slytherin…”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>And while Harry listened for the umpteenth time against his will to the story of the first time his mother kissed his father, seeing the smile on his mother’s face as he recounted it and Ginny’s genuine interest in the lead-up, he couldn’t stop himself from grinning too. He put his hand atop the one Ginny had on his leg, intertwining his fingers with hers as he sighed happily, surrounded by the people he loved.</p>
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